Korean slang profile

억텐

eokten

Forced enthusiasm

Acting more excited or amused than you really feel to keep the mood up.

Expanded form: 억지 텐션Forced enthusiasm
Other spellings: —
Earliest source found: Oct 9, 2022
Documented trend period: Not verified

This is the earliest source we have verified, not the date the term was coined.

01Examples, with English translations

Example by Julimmal
억텐으로 놀았더니 집에 와서 지쳤어.
I was exhausted when I got home after pretending to have fun.
Quoted from a source
‘억텐’은 ‘억지 텐션’[1]
억텐 is short for 억지 텐션, meaning forced enthusiasm.
English translation by Julimmal.

02Documented history

2022-10-09News1 gives 억지 텐션, meaning forced enthusiasm, as the expanded form.[2]
2022-10-24Seoul Economic Daily explains the abbreviation and the use of exaggerated reactions in social situations.[1]

03Origin & word formation

Short for 억지 텐션. Seoul Economic Daily explains 텐션 as energy or excitement and describes putting on an amused or exaggerated reaction in social situations. A separate News1 article gives the same expansion. Who coined it and when have not been verified.

Evidence for the origin explanationHigh

Two articles support the abbreviation's expansion, and Seoul Economic Daily explains specific usage situations. When it was first coined has not been verified.

04Sources

Original titles and links are preserved. An English translation does not replace the original source.

[신조어 사전] 억텐·찐텐 (서울경제·네이트)Published Oct 24, 2022Original source checked Nov 6, 2026
분좋카·스불재·억텐…MZ세대 신조어, 어디까지 아시나요 (뉴스1·파이낸셜뉴스)Published Oct 9, 2022Original source checked Nov 6, 2026